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CURRENT RADIO SERIES Lifeworks   CURRENT TV SERIES All Things New

… you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. --1 Peter 1:18-19 This Valentine’s Day provides you and me with the opportunity to think about our love relationships. It is one of the great blessings in life to have people who love us and to love them in return, especially when God is in the midst of that love. And while these earthly relationships touch our lives in real and meaningful ways, we must never lose sight of our heavenly love relationship with God. And here’s why. No other human can possibly satisfy the deepest longings and love needs of our lives. In fact, if we expect or hope for another person to meet the needs that only God can satisfy, we will be forever disappointed. Only God has the power to meet and satisfy the deepest needs of your heart. And it is this love that ransoms you from the futility of the self-serving and sinful ways of the flesh. This Valentine’s Day embrace the love that God has shown for you in Christ Jesus. Accept the precious gift of his blood poured out for you on Calvary. Let him transform your heart into a mighty vessel through which his love can flow to all those around you. God alone has the power to meet and satisfy the deepest needs of your heart. The Tragedy of a Hidden Gospel by Dr. Paul Chappell “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.” 2 Corinthians 4:3–5 The highly lethal Ebola virus has been known for many years, but a major outbreak in 2014 created a global health scare. As hundreds of patients in Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia contracted the deadly disease, the local health care facilities were quickly overrun. International groups like the World Health Organization and Doctors Without Borders set up emergency treatment in the effected areas. They did everything possible to let people know that help was available. Though thousands died, many tens of thousands were saved as the worst cases were isolated and treated. Nearly three years passed before the outbreak was finally considered to be fully controlled. There has been a raging sin virus spreading throughout the world since the Garden of Eden. It is 100 percent deadly, and there is only one hope of a cure. Yet far too often God’s children, having received the cure of salvation for themselves, fail to do their part to shine the light of the gospel into the darkness of the world. It is a tragedy because we are God’s only plan for reaching the lost. He does not send angels to carry the message. Instead He commands us to do it. “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). We are the only hope for a lost and dying world.   Today’s Growth Principle:  We who have received God’s gift of salvation have the weighty responsibility of sharing the gospel with the world.